Prime Suspect
by windlady
Summary: Completed. 'For NatsumeSeries Contest' There has been a series of theft occurring in the preschool and so Detective Natsume is out to find the prime suspect. Any guess on who it will be? NxM with support from RxH Kiddy love and friendship.


**Prime Suspect**

**windlady**

_**Plot: **__('For NatsumeSeries Contest')__There has been a series of theft occurring in the preschool and so Detective Natsume is out to find the prime suspect. Any guess on who it will be? NxM with support from RxH Kiddy love and friendship._

**W:** I know that I should be updating AL and MPP2 now but consider this as a breather. We need time to gather enough inspiration. *chuckles* I received a prompt for a contest. This is my very first time to be asked of that and so here it is. Just for fun. This is _'For NatsumeSeries Contest'_ hosted by _Romantically Loveless_ and _Vione_. Submission starts on June 21 and ends on July 21. And yes, I did inform both _Leenoy (Little-Miss-Giggle)__and__Anna (My Hopeless Romantic)_ about publishing this kiddy love and friendship story. If ever one of them utters a word of reluctance, this story will be found decaying in a trash bin. *grins* Hola, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Gakuen Alice is not mine. All respects should be paid to the revered mangaka, Higuchi Tachibana-sama. Also, some portions of this story are patterned to "Crayons and Mikan Sakura" by My Hopeless Romantic and "The Mushy Gushy Valentine" by Little-Miss-Giggle".

**Prime Suspect**

**By windlady**

_Tribute to:_ _My Hopeless Romantic and Little-Miss-Giggle_

"_Because you, guys, are my springs of inspiration and admiration._

_Pay back time, eh?"_

"_One thing leads to another… and another… and another._

_This is the infamous Legend of the—CIRCLE!"_

If you're wondering if there's anything in the preschool that Natsume Hyuuga enjoys, then we can count them with only the use of a single hand. It should be reading manga with his best friend, crayons—and _Mik_—SLEEPING.

Little Natsume finds his happiness in being with his best friend, reading manga, his wealthy set of Crayola crayons and—_Polk_—SLEEPING. The list ends there. For him, life could get boring and school can be worthless without the four things that he likes. He can usually achieve those in just a small glare he sends to his nosy classmates or an incomprehensible grunt he would produce at certain times. But lately, the class has been anxious on some petty issue circling their classroom—THEFT!

It has been a week since the first incident of larceny in their school. He heard about this after they disturbed his habitual hour of sleep during Jinno's Math Class. Missing pens, erasers, crayons, clay molds, rubber balls, snack boxes and even a missing dirty Physical Exercise uniform were reported. This shouldn't really be a big deal for him since the burglar didn't touch any of his manga nor stole any of his crayons but apparently, he is forced to take action because the entire ruckus is depriving him one of the rare things that he likes—_Saku_—SLEEPING.

He is playing with the pencil he held in his hands as he continued thinking deeply. It is 'Nap Time'. Their class adviser, Narumi, announced it several minutes ago. He frowned as his eyes swept through the classroom, observing his classmates as he did so. He could have been sleeping right now. He could have been reading his manga together with his best friend, Ruka Nogi, in the comforts of the quiet ambiance just there in 'their corner' at the back of the room. But all these aren't possible anymore. Just because of some vicious felon who is out on the loose? His ruby eyes looked cleverly at his paper. He won't tolerate these insolent acts. He is going to solve this mystery. He will unmask this prime suspect!

_Suspect Number 1: Imai, Hotaru._

It isn't because of jealousy or any inner hate for this peculiar classmate of his that he is considering her a suspect. Hotaru Imai is easily next to him in the honor roll and is thus highly capable of performing clean crimes. It didn't help that she is also a very cold and an aloof person who rarely shows her emotions which is usually just when her self-proclaimed best friend—Mikan Sakura—is around. This petite girl looks frail from the outside but Natsume is very sure that inside her is a monstrous capability of executing smart transgressions. After all, she has always been so fond of annoying Ruka by humiliating him for some incomprehensible reason which Ruka comfortably labels as 'sadistic blackmailing'. Plus, she is always happy for food. He can even recall seeing her munching on Ruka's Crab-flavored cookies. The point here is that one of the missing things is Anna Umenomiya's snack box which contained Crab Strips. Everyone in the preschool knows how good Anna Umenomiya's snacks are. He can't be wrong. Hotaru Imai loves crabs and that can be a big factor to solve this crime. Almost certain about his deduction, he glanced on the list of missing objects and glowered in annoyance when he realized something. Hotaru Imai wouldn't dare do anything with a used P.E. uniform. She has always been prim and proper. She walks life the way she wears her hair. Sure cuts and well-disciplined. She has a high sense of order and tidiness in her body in so far as he can bet that she wouldn't touch a dirty uniform even if it was to spite Ruka. But the most important factor to disprove his hypothesis? Hotaru Imai doesn't need to steal to get what she wants. She has many other ways to deal with her whims: The Imai way.

_Suspect Number 2: Yome, Kokoro._

He doesn't hate him for being accurate in guessing his thoughts most of the time even though it freaks out most of their classmates. It's like Koko has power to read everyone's thoughts which is impossible unless you're in some fiction tale like "Alice in Wonderland". It isn't because of that. It's just that one of the missing things is Yuu Tobita's box of crayons. Koko and crayons aren't good to be left alone in each other's company. He can attest to that. He even remembered Koko smiling at Sumire Shouda, his best friend, while Yuu cried over his lost Crayola crayons. Natsume knows how much Koko wanted to impress Sumire by drawing a fire-breathing dragon for her and because this boy lost his red Crayola crayons two weeks ago, he might be inclined to steal someone else's crayons. He nodded silently at that as he recalled Koko's attempt to 'steal' his own crayons before in the "Draw your Fairytale Character" activity during Serina's class. He encircled Koko's name in a dark loop. He stared at his list again and frowned. But it can't be Koko. He just remembered that it was Koko's P.E. shirt which has been reported missing last Tuesday. He drew an X-mark over Koko's name before moving on the next one.

_Suspect Number 3: Ogasawara, Nonoko._

She is a soft spoken girl and has barely anything to do with the crime. That is if you don't see her personality carefully. Nonoko takes pleasure in learning about what makes the things that she uses. She seemed to enjoy learning about the labels at the back of each item which usually are about chemicals. Weird. But it should not leave her at just that. Who knows? She can be the thief free of suspicion from everyone's prying eyes. Her perfect deceitful shy demeanor can effortlessly fool anyone into believing her 'innocence'. Besides, few days ago, he heard her whisper something to Yura Otonashi about preparing a gift for her best friend, Anna, who will celebrate her birthday soon. She even mentioned that she wants to learn how to create the colorful tints from those coloring pens so that she can make the pens herself. He smirked at the thought. Seems like just a common mushy friendly thought but then, if viewed in another way, it can be a straightforward confession already. And another thing, haven't these geeky girls been fighting over everything? Like a foolish issue on who has more friends or was it admirers that they were saying? Natsume chanced on his list again and shook his head. No matter how tricky she and her personality can get, she couldn't fit his list. She isn't the criminal. If it weren't for the rubber balls that Nonoko donated for their class, she could have been a good prime suspect.

_Suspect Number 4: Shouda, Sumire._

This vainglorious sassy girl who has always been too clingy on either Ruka or him is also a good candidate. Last week during the substitute teacher Fukutan's "Mold the Clay" activity, Kitsuneme made fun of her much to Koko's chagrin. Kitsuneme is a good friend of Koko but he seemed to find fun in pestering Sumire and so he asked the aid of their class's best clay molder, Kaoru Nendo, to create a clay model which looks a lot like Sumire except that the clay Sumire's body is that of a strange animal which looks like a cat and dog combined. When Sumire saw this, her face reddened to an extent as smoke emerged from her ears and nose while her eyes turned ablaze. She chased the laughing boys and endlessly hit them with her expensive bag from somewhere in Paris till Fukutan ended up calling the other teachers for help just to control the 'little warfield'. That eccentric girl can be really strong, violent and scary sometimes. But amidst that commotion, he dredged up that he heard her say that she'll get rid of all the clay models very soon. That makes a great big point as to why she can be the real prime suspect but then, isn't it that it was Sumire's 'luxurious-and-one-of-a-kind-in-the-whole-wide-world' eraser that has been missing since yesterday?

_Suspect Number 5: Na—_

"NAAATSSUUMMEEE!"

His eyes narrowed at the beaming girl beside him. Mikan Sakura. The annoying pig-tailed brunette. She didn't have to yell in his ears. He can hear her high-pitched voice well without the need of screaming. Honestly, he wanted to put a volume controller in her vocal chords. _Darn_, he needs to get his eardrums checked. He gave a deadpan look to the girl who seemed oblivious of his murderous intents.

"What do you want?"

"What are you doing?"

Her face inched closer to his while her auburn hair which is tied in twirled pigtails brushed against his cheek. He smelled strawberries and found himself suddenly feeling uneasy. He covered his notes and ruffled his raven of hair before setting his feet on the table. This is his usual position when he means to relate that he isn't going to pay attention to anything. She'll do nothing good with his plans. She'll just mess everything up. She has always been viewed by him as an ordinary idiotic classmate of his who is below the label of an uninteresting creature. And that isn't about to change. Yet.

"Idiot."

A scoff.

"What's wrong with you? Sometimes you're nice to me and then you suddenly become mean! I really can't understand you, Natsume!"

"How about you just leave him to his world, Mikan?"

Natsume turned his face to his side only to realize that Hotaru and Ruka are already beside them standing right next to each other. A rare sight. When they are spotted together, they would usually be bickering at each other. And how come he didn't notice them coming?

"S-Sakura-san, I think Natsume can manage by himself."

Both Mikan and Natsume were surprised at this. Ruka _actually_ supported Hotaru's suggestion? Bizarre. Utterly bizarre. Maybe the world is about to end. Very soon.

Mikan pouted after regaining her composure from the shock. She isn't really that nosy. It's just that whenever Natsume is doing something she finds it hard to resist to see what he is up to. It's like an impulse that she needs to share in whatever it is that perplexes him. Yes, she believes that Natsume is out of his rhythm lately. Just a while ago, she called on him to ask if he can come with her to get some Fluff Puffs from Mister Narumi's office. Once. Twice. Thrice. He has always been so alert but he didn't look at her so she figured out that something is bothering him and that she needed to make her voice louder which is why she resorted on yelling in his ears. She stifled a laugh when she evoked his surprised face. He got surprised by her. It's silly but she finds it so interesting to see different reactions from his face. Things like that are priceless things according to her grandfather. Her old man once said that men don't usually show their emotions to anyone. It must have taken a lot to see such vivid reactions from her class activity partner, Natsume Hyuuga. She smiled, secretly, to herself. She can't understand why but thoughts like this tickle her deep inside.

"But Natsume is—"

"I'm finding the prime suspect."

Natsume's answer is prompt and direct. Ruka and Mikan gaped at him while Hotaru only gave him a smug look as he allowed his companions to read the data he has collected. Natsume clicked his tongue. He has this habit of doing that whenever he is trounced. But it is not like he is at a loss here. Well, he just wanted them to stop asking him nonsense and leave him in peace so that he can continue with his 'project' and enjoy his beloved 'Nap Time'. That's all there is to it. Really. For several seconds, there was a good amount of silence before Mikan broke the tranquil atmosphere.

"OH! THIS IS SOOO EXCITING! MAY WE JOIN YOU?"

"Uh but, S-Sakura-san…"

"If it could earn me money…"

His brows twitched from the irritation building up in his body. Mikan is so hyped about this; Ruka is trying to calm her down while Hotaru began calculating for her profit if she ever joins. Will it be possible to get rid of them just this once? He can't concentrate with them surrounding him. Or rather with _her_ pestering him.

"No."

"OH! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEEAASSEE!"

"Uh, Natsume, maybe we can—"

"9, 999… 10, 000 rabbits. You're taking me with you, Hyuuga."

"Tch."

The brunette girl started squealing just because _her_ Hotaru is joining him by force causing the blonde Ruka to sigh. While inwardly, Natsume asked himself if it was really a wrong move that he allowed them to know. He should have predicted that this could happen. _Still…_

"Fine."

Another loud squeal was heard as he picked up his notebook and threw it. A muted whine was heard next after an unpleasant thud.

"If I can remember it clearly, the missing shirt was last sighted here."

Hotaru was leading the way while Natsume tagged along lazily. This stupid idea of visiting all the crime scenes even 'after they have been cleaned' came from Mikan. What clues will they find at this time? The area has been cleaned already. All traces of the villain should be gone by now. It is why this action is useless. He scoffed when their eyes met with the shiny tiles of the swimming area. This is where they have last sighted Koko's P.E. shirt but everyone checked this area too and nothing interesting could have been left here unscathed.

"Sakura-san, I think it is pointless to look after the janitors have cleaned the area."

He smirked at this. Even Ruka believes in that. They should just leave the area and observe the students who are acting suspiciously. It should help them progress a bit more doing that.

"But, Ruka-pyon, we should try looking some more. Shirts can't become invisible."

Too much of a persistent fool. An idea popped from his mind. For boredom's sake, he can manage playing around a bit.

"It can."

"EH? HOW?"

He pulled on one of the ribbons from her pigtails and threw it under the lockers.

"There."

Mikan froze as her hair gracefully fell down to her shoulders and bumped against her back. Her eyes widened bigger than their 'Juice Time' saucers and her jaw dropped open.

Natsume. And. Her. Ribbon.

He threw her ribbon away!

"MEEAANNIIEE NAAATSSUMMEE!"

Ruka held Mikan's arms to impede her as she struggled to scratch the proud Natsume's face for revenge. Natsume has declared vendetta. She screamed in condemnation. If there is anything that she loved about her uniform it is how they matched with her favorite crimson ribbons. She had preferred her former school's informal dress code which is simply casual clothes. Her grandfather had preferred it too. He even said she is a princess, that's why. But her best friends, Hotaru and Permy, as she had proclaimed it so even though they never 'officially' have agreed on that, do not believe it. Besides, those ribbons are from her dad who died when she was still so little.

It is something _precious_.

Her eyes watered. How could he be so mean to her? Her cheeks reddened and her skin radiated warmth. How could he just throw her treasured ribbon away? Rashly, she inhaled as intense as she could. She has never felt as sad as now. Tears streamed from her eyes.

"S-Sakura-san…"

When Ruka let go of her, she darted towards the lockers and tried to reach underneath it. She has to get the ribbon back. Her hands felt all the areas she can afford to reach but didn't find her ribbon. If only she was older and her arms were longer…

"Mikan, let's go."

After several minutes, Hotaru called her attention. She knows that they will be late for the next activity if they don't hurry soon but her ribbon is still there.

"Mikan, the bell already rang."

"B-But, Hotaru, my—SOB—ribbon is—SOB"

"Sakura-san…"

"Tch. I'll buy you another one if that should silence your whimpering."

Her eyes widened. Buy? Another one? And replace her ribbon? She clenched her fists as her body shook due to all the raging emotions she can hardly contain. How could he be so cold? An aura of darkness surrounded her. He didn't even care that she likes that ribbon more than any other ribbon. He doesn't understand her at all. It is… priceless.

"IT IS NOT _JUST_ ANY RIBBON! I HATE YOU!"

She shouted at his face and ran in the direction to their classroom with Ruka calling her name. He could have just said sorry. He could have just told her that he didn't mean it. He could have just remained quiet. He could have just walked away without a word. But he just opted to break her further. She wanted to punch him like how Sumire punches Koko whenever he does 'Eww-Gross' things or 'torture' him like how Hotaru tortures Ruka-pyon but she couldn't.

She isn't asking him to hug her so tight like how her mom does whenever she cries. She had not wished for him to act like Sumire and buy her an ice cream just so she'll be happy. She had not hoped that he does something as trivial as what Mister Narumi does for her whenever she feels down. Because that is _not_ who Natsume _is_. She is clear on that. Still she had wanted him to say that everything will be alright. To tell her not to break. She had wished that he'd comfort her too just like how Ruka usually does. She had hoped that he would simply say something as consoling like how Hotaru's words can unexpectedly soothe her. Something which can never be heard slipping from Natsume's lips. He will _never_ care enough about her.

"Tch."

Natsume didn't really know what was so special in that ribbon. It is JUST a ribbon. He can buy her something better than just that, if she wants. Foolish girl.

"You know, her father gave her that."

Hotaru uttered quietly as she passed by him and went straight to their room, leaving him stunned.

_Her father?_

"The teachers said the mystery has been solved!"

One of Mikan's classmates rushed to their room with the news that the 'Theft Mystery' has been solved. She barely paid attention to anything apparently. There were muffled conversations which she heard but she doesn't really care much about it anymore. She feels like doing nothing else right now other than to doodle on the board. This has always been her resort whenever she feels down. It is her stress outlet. Doodling about sad feelings and things that were supposed to be said but never were can help make one feel better. An extremely cool and kind upper classman called Tsubasa taught her once about that. He said it helps a lot when Misaki, his girlfriend, is not around or when Kaname, his sickly best bud, is confined again in the hospital.

"They say they have found this cute little bunny below it and it was the one who took our things!"

"It seemed to have thought that our things were food. He took all of it in his nest which is actually Koko's shirt."

Loud and roaring laughter came from the crowding students. Mikan recognized that some of those are from her dear friends.

"Do you know where the bunny is? I want to see it?"

"Nogi-kun is tasked to take care of it! I heard he named it Usagi!"

Squeals arose from the crowd. The loudest came from Sumire who is an avid fan of Natsume and Ruka. Rushing footsteps were heard before someone tapped Mikan's shoulder. It was Anna Banana and Nonoko stood behind the pink-haired girl expectantly.

"Mikan-chan, aren't you going to see the bunny too?"

"Uh-I'm sorry, Anna-chan, Nonoko-chan. But I guess I'll just stay here for a bit more."

"Oh, okay."

The girls smiled at her and she forced a smile back at them. She can't let her friends worry over something as simple as just losing her ribbon. She released a sigh when they had left and gently brushed her hand through her hair which is now held in a single ponytail. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to change something. Or if not, she can just buy herself another pair of ribbons, right? Nah! Who is she kidding? It isn't just like any ordinary ribbon. Her hands tightened on the chalk she held as it broke into several pieces. It _is_ her treasure. Her fists clenched.

She isn't angry at him. She doesn't really hate him.

Her grandfather said it is bad to harbor such negative feelings for someone, that's why. She just felt violated when he threw her ribbon carelessly, regardless of what her feelings would be. She just hated what he did. It is his deed and not exactly him that she loathed. Because for the longest time and before she has noticed it, Natsume has become a cherished friend of hers. No matter how mean he acts towards her and regardless of all the rude names he calls her or the things he did to humiliate her and to spite her when they first met. He is a _special friend_. And this unrequited friendship is something that rubs on her feelings of sadness upon the loss of her prized item.

Tear drops threatened to fall from her eyes again. She doesn't know why but she felt so tired and sad whenever she thinks that Natsume did that because he doesn't care about her. Because she means nothing special for him. She isn't part of his significant people. Her upper lip trembled. She's already 5. And 5-year olds shouldn't cry a lot. She was about to sob once again when a hand appeared in front of her. Eh? What is that? She was about to voice a question when the previously mentioned hand unclasped and revealed her dear ribbon. Her eyes sparked with surprise.

"How did it—"

Her question was silenced when she saw Natsume's face. He is looking away from her with his hand extended in front of her while the other is cautiously tucked in one of his pockets. She stared at him in sheer surprise. Natsume brought it back for her? Her eyes traced back to his dirtied palms and fell on his uniform which is crumpled and filled with dust marks. Why? Isn't she just 'nothing' for him? Why did he have to go to such great heights just for someone like her? He clicked his tongue in absolute agitation.

"I investigated the area beneath the lockers. It's not because of you."

She giggled a bit and smiled at him as she took her ribbon back. Natsume threw her a sparing glance. She felt strangely happy for an unexplainable reason. Her smile turned into a wide grin while Natsume's eyes quickly deviated from hers. She chuckled.

"Wow! You found the criminal and solved the mystery! Thank you."

"I didn't. Your ribbon finished it. And, I already told you, it's not for—"

"I LOVE YOU, NATSUME!"

Mikan yelled childishly as she hugged Natsume who stiffened at her unexpected action. She was laughing heartily while Natsume tried to shoo her away several seconds later.

"Oi, Polka. Let go, idiot."

She continued laughing as she heard Ruka's shocked call on her name and Hotaru's usual cold voice.

"N-Natsume? S-Sakura-san? Wha-What are you doing?"

"Sorry to disturb your _moments_."

"Nothing _IS_ happening."

Natsume quickly pushed Mikan away as he walked out of the room in a swift manner, his unruly bangs covering his slightly warm face. Hotaru only gave him a knowing look.

"So slowly it leads to another… and another…"

Hotaru smirked at Mikan while the dense brunette stared at her curiously.

"What do you mean, Hotaru?"

"Just like a circle, eh?"

"Eh?"

This time it was Ruka who said another confusing thing, in Mikan's opinion. She blinked several times, trying to understand what they are actually talking about. Hotaru looked at Ruka then at Mikan in her straight face.

"You're a hopeless case."

She gave dense little Mikan an exasperated sigh as the prime suspect: the bunny, Usagi, jumped from Ruka's arms towards the delighted Mikan.

He stared down at his uniform. Gah! Why does dust have to be so visible on his uniform? Natsume is currently in the comfort room, trying to remove the dust marks. He couldn't really have minded being dirty and all because it is almost dismissal time but whenever he remembers his friends' facial expressions? He shook his head. Annoying. He doesn't need further embarrassment for the day. Even stupid Polka realized where these filthy marks came from. But it's not like he did it for her sake. He was trying to solve the mystery. It was all for that and nothing else. _Yet still…_

"_IT IS NOT JUST ANY RIBBON! I HATE YOU!"_

She was so sad. Her eyes were hurt and her hands were trembling. Somehow the sight of her being like that brought a bitter taste in his mouth. He clicked his tongue again for the nth time in just a day. It isn't _guilt_. This isn't _defeat_. He denied. It's not like she's important or anything. It's not like he can't get her ribbon back. Besides, it isn't a bad idea to look beneath the locker area to search for clues. And my, did it surprise him when he saw the white furry villain with all the missing things including _her ribbon_ beneath it. Just luck. He smirked. He just solved everything that bothers him. Then he scowled. Or did he _not_?

_Is Mikan Sakura important? Particularly, for him?_

He shook his head to digress from his thoughts and pushed the comfort room's door open. He needs air and some good old sleep hours beneath the Cherry Blossom Tree by the playground. He stepped outside, quite surprised to see Koko leaning against the wall parallel to his current location. The boy threw him an extra uniform and gave him a teasing smile.

"You know, it would really help if you could be a bit _honest_ with yourself."

Koko was grinning his face to halves with his hands tucked in his pockets, expectant of Natsume's reply. _Man_, does he know that he got Natsume clicking his tongue again?

"None of your business, _mind reader_."

His reply is rather vague and slurred. But there may be no use for denial. Koko has probably figured everything out by himself. That boy is, after all, not the most stupid in his class. He heard the young boy chuckle as he paced his way through the hallway, smirking as he did so. _Silly._

Little Natsume finds his happiness in being with his best friend, reading manga, his wealthy set of Crayola crayons and slee—

'_Sakura. Mikan Sakura...'_

*****END OF STORY*****

**W:** Uh-Haha! I'm _actually_ nervous. I didn't know why I came up with a plot like this. I guess I just wanted a break from too much heavy writings and serious tones or strong emotions. I think something lightly treated, like this, should do me good. The plot is very simple and there are no twists. This is meant to go in a straight line for easy reading but I really hope you enjoyed this. And as for _Anna and Leenoy_, I can _only wish _that they liked this even just the slightest.

Thank you for reading and please support the other entries too! Everyone loves getting reviews.

~windlady

(Revised: July 2012)


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